You Promised
by jennifer snape
Summary: Harry tried again, desperately, with the only thing that he had left.... Neither of them had spoken about it for weeks, but still it hung between them like an invisible, impenetrable barrier. He knew that he was taking a huge risk.... HarryDraco.
1. Chapter 1

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Chapter 1

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"I - I don't know how to _help_ you - " The words were as desperate as the dark-haired man whose lips they had left.

Glittering grey eyes flashed dangerously.

"Oh that would be right, wouldn't it?" Draco snarled. "Ever the _Gryffindor_." He spat the words as though they were venom. "Always trying to _fix_ everything."

Suddenly his voice changed.

"Well you couldn't fix _me_, could you…." He choked back a sob and turned away, hating himself. _Damn it_. Harry was the only one who had ever been able to make him cry - and he _hated_ him for it.

Harry tried again, desperately, with the one thing that he had left unmentioned…. Neither of them had spoken about it for weeks, but still it hung between them like an invisible, impenetrable barrier. Harry knew that he was taking a huge risk by saying it, but it was all he had left…. He took a deep breath and forced out the words that he knew Draco might never forgive him for. "What about your father? You _saw_ what it did to him when - "

Draco froze.

"_Get out._"

It was obvious from the sound of the strangled syllables that his teeth were tightly clenched.

Hot tears sprang into the eyes of the taller wizard as his deathly pale face whitened even more, his nostrils flaring with every ragged breath.

Harry bit his lip, immediately regretting his outburst. Stinging tears cascaded down his cheeks. "I'm sorry - I shouldn't have - "

"Damn right you shouldn't have!" Draco was now shaking. "If you EVER mention what you did to him…. What you did to _me_ - "

"I only - "

"You had _NO RIGHT!_"

The incident in Malfoy Manor had happened weeks ago, but Harry wasn't surprised that the youngest member of the pureblood family still hadn't forgiven him for his part in it.

Tentative fingers reached towards the shaking man. "I'm so - "

Draco whipped his arm away.

"_Don't touch me._"

His words were pure ice.

Harry shrank back, trembling. He was shocked to find that he was – _frightened_. He was actually _frightened_ of his own – but he didn't even know how to finish that sentence. For he didn't even know _who_ this person was anymore.

Draco turned away, seemingly in a trance-like state, and came to a halt against the mantelpiece. Laughing faces within a gilded frame mocked at him from beneath their glass. He closed his heavy, red-rimmed eyes and rested his palms on the cool surface, his chest still heaving.

"You have to get help - " Harry was pleading now.

Draco seethed silently.

Harry wrung his hands together. "It's _killing_ me seeing you like this…."

The Slytherin, barely raising his hardened gaze, gave a hollow laugh.

"Well why don't I just save you the trouble of _seeing_ me…."

In one fluid movement, he pushed himself away from the mantelpiece and stumbled angrily towards the door. Harry watched helplessly. A simple charm would have sufficed to bar the door shut and force the stubborn man to remain here - but he couldn't bring himself to use magic. Not when he knew how Draco felt about it…. Not after what had happened….

No - if he were so much as to _see_ Harry with a wand in his hand, he would _never_ forgive him.

_I'll never forgive you. _The cruel words that Draco had uttered that day came back to slice right through him, penetrating his chest only to wrap themselves like a metal band around his already breaking heart.

If the blond-haired man had felt any of the Gryffindor's silent pleas, he had chosen to ignore them. For within the time it took Harry to inhale a shaky breath, he had reached the doorway, his bandaged hands already fumbling with the lock. He cursed loudly. He struggled with the key, but didn't ask for any help. And Harry didn't dare offer it. The distraught Gryffindor held his breath, the tears streaming down his cheeks, _willing_ him not to leave. But to no avail. Within half a minute, Draco had flung open the door and made to cross the threshold.

He paused.

_Don't do this, Draco_…. Harry silently pleaded. _You can still turn around_…. _Don't do this_….

Still refusing to face Harry, Draco fumbled with his hands for a second or two.

There was a soft thud of metal against wood.

Then he left.

The slamming of the door might well have severed, somehow, the invisible strings that had been holding Harry upright - for the man suddenly sank to the ground, shaking. He was now trembling so violently that he couldn't even brush the tears from his face.

It had really happened.

Draco had _gone_.

His gaze fell to the wooden cabinet beside the doorway. And there, amongst the unopened post and discarded wrappers, was the one thing that had still bound Harry and Draco to each other.

A plain gold wedding ring.

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And there you have it! I'm not really sure where this is going, but I've put a few loose ends in there to sustain a few more chapters maybe. I tried not to put too much description in this story, because I usually overdo it and it ends up breaking up the dialogue! I've started writing the second chapter, but I'm not sure if I'll carry it on yet. Hope you liked this one though! Thank you ever so much for reading it! I'd love it if you tell me what you think:o)


	2. Chapter 2

Everything after the first scene happened in the PAST. (Anyone who has read this before, I have swapped around the last two scenes in this chapter to make it chronological, to make it easier to follow).

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Chapter 2

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Harry walked sadly towards the glittering object, his heavy head throbbing with the reverberations of the argument that had just taken place. This precious token of his devotion now lay, abandoned, amongst the wreckage of their relationship. He fingered the metal tenderly. It was still warm from his husband's recent touch. A low moan escaped his lips as he cradled it against his cheek.

"Draco…what's happened to us?"

The bitter exchange at the beginning of their fight re-entered his mind….

_Harry was desperate. He grabbed the Slytherin's arms and tried to calm the furious wizard, but it was no use_….

_Draco suddenly stopped moving. He slowly turned to face his husband. His unwavering stare bore into the resilient man standing before him and dissolved all the reasoning and all the carefully constructed sentences that Harry had earlier prepared when the Gryffindor had realised that this confrontation was imminent._

_Harry was now just clutching at straws. _"_I - I don't know how to _help_ you_…."

"_Oh that would be right, wouldn't it? Ever the _Gryffindor…."

"_You couldn't fix _me…."

Harry shook his head and tried desperately to replace the awful images with thoughts of he and Draco in happier times. He forced his mind to wander back to the cool mid-winter morning when he had pledged this ring, and with it the rest of his life, to the Slytherin all that time ago. In seven long years, he could not recall ever having once seen it separated from Draco's finger. He had thought that he never would…. It broke Harry to see it discarded so unceremoniously.

He swallowed bitterly. If he was honest, he had probably known even then, on that overcast January morning, that this day would arrive. In spite of that, however, he realised one thing. There wasn't anyone else with whom he would have rather spent all the years in between.

Still clutching the one thing that proved that their marriage had even been real, he sank desolately to the hard wooden floor and curled into a ball.

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Lucius Malfoy had sensed that someone had entered the room.

To observe Draco's father was to observe a man on the very brink of death itself. His withered frame bore only the slightest of resemblances to his former self. The wizard's once domineering form lay in the ornately carved four-poster bed, surrounded by the vast emptiness of the giant room - much as his life had been shrouded in emptiness since the day his son had severed all contact with him.

Only Lucius alone had known the pain that had caused.

Scarcely raising his head from the pillow, and barely opening his eyes, the former Death-Eater licked his dry lips. His voice was hoarse from disuse but still it carried hope.

"Draco - I knew you'd come - "

The young man before him didn't speak. In his search for words he found only a lump in his throat. It frightened him to see the frailty of the form before him. He had heard that the master of the household had been confined to his bed, but this….

With great effort, and with tears welling in his half-closed eyes, Lucius moistened his lips again. "I - " He managed the monosyllable before his voice broke.

The frightened young wizard inched closer but couldn't find any words. Instead he raised a hand and brushed a few golden strands away from those pale cheeks.

It was clear to him that Lucius could only barely register the form standing by the bedside, so in a voice that didn't resemble his own, the young wizard spoke.

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It was only a few words, but Lucius had smiled and in the knowledge that he had resolved the feud with his only child, died peacefully.

The young man rested his palm on the pale forehead of the deceased wizard before him and muttered a few words. Then he left the room.

He had barely crossed the threshold before his quickening stride faltered. He wiped a shaky hand across his brow and rubbed his eyes. He took a few moments to calm himself and stared at the ground, his chest still rising and falling heavily, wondering if this had really happened.

His gaze shifted to the opposite wall of the deserted corridor, and rested for a moment on the sleeping portrait of Narcissa Malfoy. He jolted a little as he registered the youthful countenance of the deceased witch. He felt a hot tear trace its way down his cheek, but refused to let himself feel any guilt for what he had just done. Instead, he wrenched his gaze away, briefly catching a glint of the reflection of his own piercing green eyes in the gilded mirror that claimed a place just beside the portrait.

As Harry turned on his heel, in the direction of the exit to the Manor, he fumbled in his trouser pocket. His fingers brushed against the forgotten folded piece of paper that still remained there. He hadn't needed the note after all.

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The next morning, Draco cursed in annoyance. He quickly slipped the belt through the waist of his slacks and briefly glanced downwards to fasten the buckle. He snorted in frustration. In his haste to get dressed, he had slipped on Harry's trousers instead of his own. The Slytherin, always very particular about his attire, immediately discarded the garment and rifled through the wardrobe for his own similar black pair. Minutes later, after a hurried glance in the mirror and a quick slick back of his hair, Draco made to leave their bedroom. He reflexively reached into his right hand pocket for his wallet and snorted for the second time. Damn it. He'd left it in Harry's trouser pocket. He glanced at his watch to see how he was faring for time, and cursed under his breath as he saw the minute hand creeping towards twelve. Draco _hated_ being late.

He hurriedly returned to the discarded black pair, that, now he thought about it, he vaguely remembered having seen his husband wearing the previous evening when Harry had disappeared for a few hours. He felt in the right hip pocket. Empty. He exhaled in frustration and felt in the left. His long fingers grasped his wallet and pulled it out hastily, dropping the trousers in the same movement. As he did so a folded piece of paper was wrenched along with it.

Draco bent down to retrieve it and absently unfurled the note.

His eyes widened.

Fingers trembling, he read the words again.

After re-reading the message for a third time, he punched his fist so hard into the wall that his knuckles bled.

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	3. Chapter 3

There's some violence in this chapter.

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Chapter 3

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Harry shrugged his coat off his tired shoulders as he entered the darkened lounge of his apartment, the blackness of the room contrasting sharply with the brilliant sunlight that usually flooded through the windows at this time in the afternoon. Had Harry been a little more alert, he would have realised that the curtains were shut.

It was two o' clock in the afternoon.

The Gryffindor thought nothing of it, and instead turned instinctively to flick on the light switch. He was immediately forced back against the wall by a strong hand around his throat.

Harry gasped in bewilderment and struggled against the tightening grip, his eyes widening in fear. He battled wildly, only to be thrown back against the cold, solid wall with a huge _THUD_ that momentarily winded him. He fought to remove the icy fingers from their fierce hold, but the infuriated wizard before him didn't loosen his grasp. Harry struggled to draw a breath, but each futile attempt served only to dizzy him even further. His clumsy fingers clawed at the unrelenting wrist whilst he silently pleaded with the man before him to release him, his head spinning…. He struggled to make out the other figure in the darkness. His hypoxic state clouded his vision until all he could see were blotches of grey….

But there was no mistaking the voice when it came.

"HOW _DARE_ YOU?"

Harry's eyes sprung open in shock. "_Draco! What…?_"

With a lunge, Draco jerked Harry forward, only to then shove him hard against the wall again. The dark-haired wizard cried out with the force of the blow. Draco was now livid beyond the point of reason.

He abruptly let go of Harry, and the exhausted man dropped to the ground, inhaling deep, rasping breaths. Draco towered over him, almost shaking with rage.

"Has he SEEN it?"

Unable to speak, Harry instead raised himself clumsily onto all fours, desperately inhaling deep breaths. The cool air stung his throat as his chest rose and fell painfully, his weakened elbows shuddering with every breath.

Draco hurled a crushed piece of paper at him, and shouted once more.

"_Did you send him this_?"

Harry blinked dazedly, his breathing now settling to short gasps. With a sinking heart, he realised that the paper was none other than the note that he had taken to Malfoy Manor the evening before. He groaned inwardly and raised a shaky hand to rub his eyes.

"Draco – I - "

Harry's chest heaved again unsteadily, and his throat closed with the words. He massaged his neck where the red imprints of Draco's fingers still remained.

"HAS HE SEEN IT?"

The infuriated wizard shook with anger, his fists clenched at his sides.

"No," Harry managed to protest. "But he was so ill – he was so frail - "

Draco's eyes widened in horror.

Harry bit his lip, immediately realising what he had just said. How _stupid_ of him.

"You _WENT_ there? Behind my _back_?"

Harry tried to answer but his throat constricted once more, and he could only splutter in response.

Draco, incensed, picked up a lamp and threw it forcefully against the far wall. Harry winced as the glass smashed, littering broken shards onto the floor beneath. The blond-haired man trembled with rage.

"You said you wouldn't!"

"I'm sorry…."

"You _promised! _You held me in your _arms _and you _promised!_ Doesn't that mean _anything_ to you?"

"I did what I thought was best - " Harry leant his aching back against the wall and pleaded with his husband. "Draco - "

"You had no _RIGHT!_"

"Please - "

"I thought you _loved_ me!" Draco's angry words penetrated Harry to the core.

The sentence was a blade, slicing through Harry and coming to a rest mere inches away from his heart.

He froze. This was the first time that love had ever been mentioned.

Seven years of marriage, and neither of them had ever said it. Harry found that he was trembling. This was the first time that the word had entered Draco's vocabulary, and it had only done so to be used as a weapon with which to wound Harry. It was so _cruel_.

It _hurt_.

Harry's sad voice piped through the darkness. "It's _because_ I love you that I did it -" It was obvious he was shaking. "I don't regret it, Draco…. One day you'll - "

"I'LL _NEVER _FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS!"

_I'll never forgive you_….

The words were still ringing in Harry's ears long after he heard Draco's car screech away from the driveway.

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Draco didn't stop until he was far away. He ceased the engine and stumbled out of the car, his limbs heavy. He was only able to cover a few yards before he fell to the ground, his body meeting the dusty earth with a crunch. He trembled violently and cried like he had never cried before.

He stared in disbelief at his shaking hands. They were red and raw. Goodness knows what Harry's neck would be like. He couldn't believe what had just come over him. Had he actually attacked his own husband? Had he? His head throbbed and he rolled over onto his stomach, trying to retch, but nothing would leave him or take away the shame he was feeling.

"_Harry_…."

He moaned desperately, turning his face towards the earth, wishing he could bury himself in the dusty ground. He wanted the pain to go away. He wanted every miserable second of the last few months to be erased. He couldn't bear it any longer. He certainly couldn't face going home. But most of all, he couldn't forgive his husband.


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